


Two Dads Trying Their Best

by foldedchip



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Adopted Children, BadgerDad, Bedtime, Children, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Grammarly is my beta reader, Humor, Mao Mao has Histrionic Personality Disorder, Mao Mao has PTSD, Nonbinary Adorabat, One Shot, Two confused fathers trying their best, dadmao, dadmao's a+ parenting, i think it's still good though, i wrote this in like 2 hours, it has nothing to do with the story, just adding that lil tag in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 12:43:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19992409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foldedchip/pseuds/foldedchip
Summary: “I guess we’ll just put her to bed. It shouldn’t be that hard.”





	Two Dads Trying Their Best

Stars twinkled overhead as the aerocycle tore through the sky. Mao Mao’s thick fur managed to withstand the biting wind, but Adorabat sat wedged between him and Badgerclops because her bat fur couldn’t. Badgerclops’s head rested atop Mao Mao’s with his arms carefully wrapped around his waist to keep her secure.

Adorabat nestled closer into Mao Mao and watched the sky from over Badgerclops’s arm. Purple and blue smeared through the sky in a bright nebula, stars sprinkled like the thinnest powdered sugar.

The sight, mixed with the warmth and the noise of the vehicle evoked such sleepiness that she didn’t make it home awake.

* * *

Mao Mao parked the aerocycle and popped his helmet off. The cold hit his face, but he was relieved for a breath of fresh air, even if it were in the garage. The cold sting of breaking through the water was the reason he’d always parked out front at night, but after having lost the vehicle once, he’d learned to bear it.

“Adorabat, give me your hel-” Mao Mao turned around to find that Adorabat was passed out against Badgerclops.

“Oh.”

Badgerclops picked her up and dismounted the aerocycle. “Yeah, she’s out cold, dude.” He took her helmet off and hung it against the wall on the rack.

Mao Mao took her from Badgerclops, “I guess we’ll just put her to bed. It shouldn’t be that hard.”

Badgerclops nodded, “Yeah, let’s take her inside. It’s cold.”

The two entered the house and Badgerclops turned on the hallway lights. The wooden floor creaked as they made their way to the bedroom.

Mao Mao shifted Adorabat to one arm and pulled back her covers.

“What are you doing?”

Mao Mao turned around, “Putting her to bed.”

Badgerclops shook his head, “She sleeps upside down, remember?”

Mao Mao gestured to the bed, “Then why do we have this?”

“Good point, but she still sleeps upside down.”

Sighing, Mao Mao agreed.

He flipped his daughter upside down and pressed a tendon so that her claws would splay out.

“Where do we hook her? The bottom of your mattress?”

Badgerclops shook his head, “I don’t know, where does she sleep?”

“I dunno.”

Mao Mao hooked Adorabat’s claws to the bottom of Badgerclop’s mattress, where she immediately fell.

Luckily, Mao Mao’s cat reflexes had kicked in in time and he caught her.

Already in the hallway, Badgerclops called over his shoulder, “I’ll get some tape.”

Holding Adorabat closer, Mao Mao exclaimed, “Tape? You’re gonna tape our daughter to the ceiling?”

“What other option do we have?” Badgerclops called from the kitchen.

Mao Mao growled as he listened to Badgerclops rummage through drawers until he found a roll of tape.

“I could list, like, 10 reasons why that’s stupid. We’re not doing it.”

Badgerclops sighed, “Well, then what are we gonna do?”

Mao Mao smiled, “I have a foolproof plan.”

* * *

“Careful… Careful…”

Mao Mao gritted his sharp teeth in fear as he watched Badgerclops position Adorabat’s head onto the pillow.

“Hand me the book?”

Mao Mao put  _ Responsibility: A Lifestyle  _ into Badgerclops’s outstretched paw.

“Thanks.”

Badgerclops used the book to prop Adorabat’s back up and arranged her legs (leg?) against the wall.

He slowly backed away, keeping his hands near her just in case. When he found himself beside Mao Mao, he slowly let out a breath.

Adorabat was upside down, head on a pillow, and back against the wall. Her wings were wrapped snugly around her for warmth.

Mao Mao and Badgerclops fist-bumped as Adorabat fell over.

“Oh, crap!” Mao Mao snarled.

Badgerclops threw his head back and groaned.

* * *

Mao Mao gently, but firmly, secured the rope around Adorabat’s foot. Just to make sure that it wouldn’t irritate her ankle, he’d tied a bandana around where it would meet the rope.

He tied the end of the rope to the bedframe and checked that the pile of pillows underneath her could break a possible fall.

Badgerclops clapped him on the back, “Great dad-ing,” he whispered, “Let’s get to bed.”

Mao Mao turned off the light and Badgerclops climbed into bed when Adorabat whimpered.

Both heads snapped toward her direction, and both men groaned upon finding that Adorabat’s eyes were wide open.

Adorabat took in the scene: hanging from the rope, the mountain of pillows beneath her, the distress of her upside-down dads.

“What’s going on?”

Mao Mao bit his lip, “Sorry, honey. You fell asleep on the aerocycle and we didn’t know how to put you to bed…”

Badgerclops held Adorabat up and untied the rope around her foot. She fluttered free and landed on her bed.

Smiling, she snuggled under her covers, “I don’t have to sleep upside down, I just do it so that it’s easier to get up. I just flap my wings and whoop! Out of bed.”

Both fathers’ jaws dropped.

“You mean, we could have just put you in the bed?” Badgerclops asked.

Adorabat nodded, “Uh-huh!”

Mao Mao glared at Badgerclops, “YOU IDIOT! WE COULD HAVE JUST PUT HER IN THE BED!”

Badgerclops’s paws flew up, “HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?! I’M NOT A BAT!”

Adorabat cleared her throat, “I’m ready for my story.”

Mao Mao and Badgerclops looked her way, and then at each other.

“I’ll get a book.”

“I’ll get in bed with her.”

**Author's Note:**

> Badgerclops: pLEASE LET THIS BE A NORMAL DAY
> 
> Adorabat: WITH MAO MAO? NO WAY!
> 
> Badgerclops: AWW
> 
> Mao Mao: *hits every pedestrian in sight as he drives the aerocycle while the radio blasts the magic school bus theme song*
> 
> ah, bless these two idiots.
> 
> thank you for reading this!
> 
> i love to hear from you! suggestions for what i should write next, compliments, even little things. it all makes me really happy!


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